It seems as of late that every bigtime retailer is hopping onto the vintage bandwagon. Urban Outfitters with their Urban Renewal program, Nordstrom and their partnership with Goodfair and recently J. Crew’s capsule collaboration with Metropolis Vintage.

Not entirely unfamiliar with the spotlight, Richard Colligan of Metro Vintage has sold coveted vintage pieces to the likes of Rhianna, ASAP Rocky, Bella Hadid and so many other celebrities and influencers alike. His recent collaboration with J. Crew, featuring a full collection of curated vintage tees are currently available at J. Crew’s Brooklyn location on Wythe Avenue.

We were lucky enough to hop on a call with Colligan this week to hear about his thoughts on this most recent dive into this huge retail market space.

On how J. Crew has begun to dip their toes into vintage:

J. Crew recently got a new head designer, he had a streetwear line and wanted to start up a new concept. The dude is a huge music fan and wanted curated tees to go with their new concepts and lines of clothing. They gave me a list of what they wanted and had to make me aware of all these crazy trademark issues- so be careful with these corporate collabs!

In 2021 J. Crew named Brendon Babenzien as the new men’s creative director. Co-owner of the streetwear label Noah and perhaps most famously known as the former design director of Supreme, Babenzien was brought into the J. Crew fold to “disrupt the business” and pump life back into a fading brand.

On why J. Crew is now getting into vintage:

They see what’s going on with the vintage market. They asked me to get indie band tees. I think they want to tap in and sell to a younger demographic.

J. Crew filed for bankruptcy in 2019 signaling a desperate need to shift marketing and strategies. In an email to GQ last year, newly named director, Babenzien noted that: “I think I’m bringing a youthful spirit but with experience.”

On how this collaboration has gone so far:

The collaboration has been pretty successful. I don’t think [J. Crew] were super interested in direct profit. They just want to get in on the vintage t-shirt craze and it’s a hassle to do it on their own.

As vintage continues to grow in popularity, we will continue to see these ‘commercial’ brands and big box department stores move in on the space. What does this mean for smaller resellers and vintage as a whole? There may not be a black or white answer.

Special thank you to Metropolis Vintage for speaking with us!